Rogers Park sign had once been at park entrance

Published 12:00 am, Friday, October 2, 2015

In The News-Times on Sept. 14, Veterans Council member Ken Post wrote: “At the time the Vietnam Memorial was planned, the only thing in that area (the entrance to Rogers Park) was the stone erected by M.M. Taylor in 1787.”

That was a completely erroneous statement. The newspaper on Sept. 26, 1965 printed a photo that shows the sign — Cephas B. Rogers Park — under the supervision of the City of Danbury Parks Department. Standing to the right of the sign are then-Mayor J. Thayor Bowman Jr., Park Board Chairman Charles Ducibella and 12 members of Mr. Rogers’ family.

English yew trees were planted next to the existing colorful flowers around the sign to commemorate the 85th birthday of Mr. Rogers. These were all pulled out with the sign and destroyed by the Veterans Council. On that precise location they placed their Vietnam Memorial instead of placing our country’s most important memorial, to World War II.

That is what was occupying the space at the entrance of Rogers Park since 1942 when it was opened to the citizens of Danbury.

However, there are no mistakes and problems created by the human brain that cannot be corrected and solved by that same brain. That is why the Rogers Park sign will be returned to the entrance of the park and beside it will be placed the WWII memorial.

Future scholars and students of Danbury history will be able to read all about what happened in their city when they go to the Scott-Fanton Museum, the local history room at the Danbury Public Library and the Internet.